Best Friends
by TwinkleToesToo
Summary: Jimmy and Ashley just want their friends to be happy, but they soon learn, playing matchmaker is much harder than they think.
1. Surprise, Surprise

My note….here's my next fic, it will be a chapter story, but not very long. It will feature most of the '06 gang(as usual, in my fics), but focus on JimAsh and another couple. Will contain a possible spoiler for later in the season, but nothing major(in my opinion). Set around March '07, Spinner and Paige got back together for a few months, but recently broke up again.

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 1: SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!!

Ellie and Paige sat, perched on the kitchen stools and watched in awe, as Ashley continued to decorate Dylan's birthday cake. "Wow", Ellie gasped.

"I know", Paige added shaking her head in disbelief. Ashley gave her friends a satisfactory smile.

"Another work of art, Miss Kerwin", Jimmy praised as he and the guys entered the kitchen.

Ashley turned to him and reached her hand out for his. "Coming from my master painter, that's quite the compliment", she replied, leaning down to give him a kiss. "But I'm not quite done yet".

"Really Ash, it's looks perfect, just the way it is", Marco agreed with a thumbs up. "Thanks", he added, giving her a small hug.

"Thank you Marco and you're welcome", Ashley replied proudly just as Jimmy pulled her onto his lap.

"Beautiful, perfect….and good enough to eat", Jimmy whispered, kissing some frosting off of her cheek. Ashley giggled and kissed Jimmy back.

"Aww, aren't they adorable?", Ellie asked, gushing over her friends.

"Yeah, to the point of nausea", Marco chuckled jokingly. Ashley smirked and playfully swatted at his arm as he ran past her. Ashley ignored the giggles and chuckles and turned her attention, and lips, back to Jimmy.

"Enough lovebirds…we need to finish getting ready for this party", Paige announced, grabbing some bowls and bags of chips and handed them to Ellie. "Here, Ellie you go set up the snacks…I'll...".

"Paige, you get the drinks", Marco delegated. "I'll finish the decorations…".

"And Spinner…you get your fingers out of the frosting", Ashley scolded, without even turning around.

Spinner looked up in shock. "Dude, how does she do that?", he mumbled as he quickly licked his fingers to remove any evidence. Marco, Paige and Ellie erupted in laughter.

Jimmy turned around, with an amused Ashley still on his lap. "You don't mess with a Kerwin creation, man", he grinned, shaking his head at Spinner.

"Whatever", Spinner grumbled and walked over to Jimmy. "C'mon, you heard Marco…let's go help", he stated, following Marco into the living room.

"Here, you can help me", Ellie announced, placing enormous bags of snacks onto the table.

Ashley nodded, sliding off of Jimmy's lap. Reluctant to let her go, he grabbed her hand. Ashley twirled around and hugged Jimmy from behind. "You go help Ellie now….", she stated, as she left small kisses along his neck. "…and I promise to save some frosting, for later", Ashley giggled seductively.

"Eww, I heard that", Ellie yelled disgustedly, from the next room as an embarrassed Ashley hid her head in Jimmy's shoulder.

-------------------------------------------------------

A steady stream of guest filed into the house. Marco and Paige bustled excitedly as the time finally arrived for birthday boy Dylan, to get home from hockey practice.

The crowd waited, in complete darkness, as a key jiggled in the lock, the knob turned and the door swung open. Dylan flipped on the light switch and everyone yelled "SURPRISE".

As Dylan accepted the hugs, handshakes and birthday wishes from his guests, the rest of his hockey team and a few other friends, showed up.

"So, were you surprised?", Paige asked, bouncing excitedly.

"Very surprised", he replied, squeezing his sisters shoulders. "But even more shocked that you, Marco and Ellie were able to keep it from me", he chuckled, giving Ellie a hug and Marco a kiss.

Just then, another surprise walked through the door, but this one wasn't for Dylan….it was for Ellie. "Jesse…?", she gasped as her ex stood in front of her. "….what the hell are you doing here?".

"I was invited", he answered in a matter of fact way, shifting from foot to foot.

"NO, your not", she insisted, as tears filled her eyes. "We broke up almost three weeks ago….that nullifies any invitation you may have recieved while we were still dating".

"I mean I was invited again, after we broke up", Jesse replied quietly.

"What?", she yelled.

Marco nudged Ellie toward the kitchen, so she wouldn't make a scene. "El, why don't we…".

"Marco, did you invite him?", she asked incredulously as she freed herself from Marco's grasp.

Marco shook his head, "Of course I didn't, El…".

"I invited him Ellie", Paige stated firmly as she stood next to Jesse.

"Why Paige, you knew about the breakup…..", Ellie questioned naively, then suddenly realized what Paige was saying. "…You and Jesse?", she cried, looking between them.

Paige looked up at Jesse then back over to Ellie. She didn't need an answer, the look on Paige's face was confirmation enough. Ellie turned and quickly stormed out of the house.

Ellie ran outside and down the front steps. She slumped into a lawn chair and began sobbing into her hands.

"Well that, I didn't see coming", a voice called out from behind her.

Ellie glanced over her shoulder and, as soon as she saw who it was, turned away. "Spinner, just leave me alone. Okay?", Ellie sniffled.

Spinner moved closer, "Ellie, I know how you feel. When me and Paige broke up this last time...".

"No Spinner, you don't know how I feel", Ellie replied fiercely. "You and your ex broke up because you two couldn't handle a long distance relationship. Jesse broke up with me beacuse he wanted to start dating that ex. So no, I don't think it's the same", she screamed at him.

"Hey, why the hell are you so pissed off at me? I didn't do anything wrong", Spinner retaliated. "I'm just trying to be your friend...".

Ellie stood up, with her hands on her hips. "Well I don't need anymore friends right know, thank you very much", she informed him in little quieter, but equally angry tone.

"Fine", Spinner spat, as he folded his arms across his chest and headed down the block.

"Good", Ellie smirked, as she turned and started walking, in the opposite direction.

--------------------------------------

Okay, I'm sure you can all figure out where I might be headed with this one, but I can assure you, it wont be and easy road...especially when Jimmy and Ashley get involved, and I'm really not sure how it's going to end.

The spoiler here, is that Jesse and Ellie break up and he has his eye on Paige. Oh, and I heard Spinner and Paige do get back together(yipee), at least for a little while, later in the season. So, I took these spoilers and put my own spin on them.

I really am a huge Spaige fan, just not in this particular story. And I'm trying to write different storylines and try different pairings, but one thing is for sure, Jim & Ash will always be together, in all of my stories.

I have another story that's been gnawing at me for some time now, and I really want to post it, but that would mean having two open stories at the same time. So I'm not sure if I should do that, or wait until this one is finished. The other story will be longer and more involved(dramatic) then this one, but it's just begging to be posted...we'll see, maybe this weekend?

Thanks to Raina-Bess for that wonderful review(any only one, might I add), of One Shot. I really appreciate it.

Degrassi does not belong to me.


	2. And the fun begins

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 2: AND THE FUN BEGINS

"You're spoilin' me, Ash", Jimmy chuckled, as he pulled up to the kitchen island, and next to Ashley…sneaking a crouton out of the salad.

"And what's so wrong with that?", Ashley smirked, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Besides, I enjoy it…and I absolutely love cooking in your mom's kitchen", she added, looking around the ultra-modern room.

"Yeah, and it's not like she uses it all that much", Jimmy joked as he moved to the other side of Ashley to inspect the contents on the rest of the countertop.

Although Jimmy's parents were much more a part of his life now, than they were before the shooting, they still weren't around as much as he would've liked. That's why he always liked being at her house, she had the family life he always wanted. And Ashley loved the fact that she was able to give him a little of that, even it was usually only the two of them.

Ashley watched as Jimmy, with almost child-like excitement, snatched a cooling cookie off the baking sheet on the far end of the island. Ashley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Here, peel this….before you ruin your appetite", she chuckled, pulling the cookie out of his hand before he had a chance to take a bite. She placed a waste basket in front of him, then handed him a cucumber and vegetable peeler.

Jimmy silently smiled at Ashley and got busy peeling . "I hope we have enough food", Ashley stated, thinking out loud.

"Ash, you always make enough to feed an army", Jimmy laughed as he handed Ashley the peeled cucumber. "Believe me, even Spinner can't eat all of this".

"Spinner?", Ashley asked questionably.

"Yeah", Jimmy nodded. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited him over for dinner…you know, to try to get him outta that funk he's been in since last weekend", he stated, looking up at Ashley, and judging her reaction, she was less than thrilled. "But if it's a problem, I can cancel…".

"No, it's fine Jimmy…", Ashley interrupted, laying her hand on his shoulder. "it's just….I kinda invited Ellie over…"

"So? El and Spin get along fine", Jimmy shrugged. Ashley knelt beside him.

"Jimmy, are you serious? Spinner and Ellie can't stand one another", Ashley replied sarcastically.

"What do you mean?", Jimmy asked. "They're always together".

"Yeah, in a huge group, where they're almost never in the same room and hardly say more that two words to one another", Ashley pointed out, entwining her fingers with his.

"But they've got a lot in common", Jimmy insisted. Ashley tilted her head giving Jimmy an incredulous look, and waited for him to continue. "Um, they're both drummers…".

"That…", Ashley nodded in agreement. "…and their recent ex's are now dating one another", she reminded him cautiously.

Jimmy hung his head and shrugged. " It's only dinner Ash, I'm sure they can get along for one night", he stated hopefully.

"Okay", Ashley agreed hesitantly, cupping Jimmy's face and lingering on his lips for a few seconds before standing up. She walked over to his backpack and pulled something out of the side pocket. "But if things start to get ugly….", she warned, pulling the whistle holder over his head. "…you're the referee". She chuckled and patted the whistle against his chest.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Ash, how do you get these potatoes so perfect?", Ellie asked as she placed another fork full of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "Mine always turn out gummy, sticky or way too lumpy".

Ashley smiled and blushed. "Well, you might be using the wrong type of potato, or you could be undercooking them", she replied.

"Yeah, these are awesome", Spinner added. "They're almost as good as my grammas".

Ellie looked over at Spinner and gave him a small smile and he smiled back. Jimmy slightly nudged Ashley elbow and nodded to their friends. Ashley smiled at Jimmy…things were actually going much better than she had expected...but, she may have spoken too soon.

"Man, you are so lucky to have a girl like Ash…", Spinner complimented as he took a bite from his chicken. Ashley and Ellie looked over at Spinner with pleasant surprise. "…you know, who'll cook for you and…"

"Excuse me?", Ellie gasped, her feminist side showing through.

"Actually Spin, Jimmy helped out too. He starting to learn his way around a kitchen", Ashley replied, happily smiling at Jimmy, hoping she avoided a crisis.

"Yeah, and I need my practice for when we move to New York.", Jimmy added grabbing Ashley's hand. "I don't think we'll be able to afford to eat out all the time and I've had my fair share of microwave meals and sandwiches", he chuckled.

Spinner nodded and Ellie backed down. When they all resumed eating, Jimmy and Ashley looked at one another and blew out sighs of relief.

"So El, how's the newsp…", Jimmy stopped himself mid-sentence, not wanting to remind Ellie of the job she was forced to see Jesse at every day. "…um, how's school going?".

"Great", she half-heartedly replied. "I'm glad the years almost over…I'm really looking forward to the summer".

"Did you hear back from Music Life, yet?", Ashley asked anxiously.

Ellie shook her head. "They only have three positions available, so I really have to work hard if I'm gonna get the job", she answered.

"What job?", Spinner mumbled with a mouthful of food.

"It's a summer job at Music Life magazine. I'd be apprentice to the music editor", she answered excitedly.

"Wow, that sounds great", Spinner agreed, grabbing another roll.

"Yeah, it's so exciting, they're doing a piece on great drummers and with my experience…", she rambled.

"Experience?", Spinner interrupted.

"Ah Spinner, I _am_ a drummer", Ellie replied sarcastically.

"Right, Jimmy told me….'chick on sticks", Spinner smirked, looking around the table. "Ouch", he grumbled as Ashley kicked him from under the table. Jimmy glared at him and he shrugged. "Sorry".

Ellie tried to ignore Spinner and continue with her story. "If I get this job I get to meet Phil Collins", Ellie squealed from her seat. "I mean, he's like my idol".

"Phil Collins…is your idol?", Spinner chuckled loudly.

"Yes", Ellie defended, turning to face Spinner. "He an awesome drummer".

"I guess", Spinner shrugged indifferently. "He's okay…but like Rick Allen, you know, from Def Leppard…now he's awesome".

"Well yeah, he is..but...", a flustered Ellie tried to respond.

"C'mon, Dude…the guy's only got one arm", Spinner defended.

Ellie's mouth fell open in shock. "Dude? Did you just call me Dude?", she questioned angrily.

"No offense Ellie, but how much do you really know about drumming….?", Spinner blurted absentmindedly. "…I mean, no offense, but…you are a girl".

"And you're a jerk, Spinner", Ellie yelled as she stood up. She placed her hands on her hips and stared him down. "No, let me rephrase that…you're an insensitive, sexist pig", she spat, throwing her napkin onto the table.

Jimmy and Ashley could only stare at what was happening across the table. Ellie turned to them. "Ash, Jimmy, thank you for dinner, it was delicious, but if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I'm not exactly in the mood for company, anymore", she stated, glancing one more time at Spinner before storming out of Jimmy's house.

Spinner watched, over his shoulder, as Ellie slammed the door behind her. He slowly turned his head back to face the disgusted glares Jimmy and Ashley were giving him.

"What?", he asked stupidly, holding up his hands in surrender . "What'd I say?"

Jimmy shook his head in disappointment at Spinner. He looked over at Ashley, who put a comforting arm around his shoulder. Jimmy slowly leaned back and pulled his coaches whistle from his pocket.

Ashley couldn't help put smile as Jimmy hesitantly put the whistle to his lips. He looked at her and frowned, then gave the whistle a week blow.

--------------------------------------------------

Okay, so here's chapter two….hope you liked it. I'm really enjoying writing this, it's so much fun to do the arguing scenes...and I love how Spinner can be so oblivious sometimes, I have a lot of fun writing him. It's moving a little slow, but it will pick up speed, soon. Next chapter should be up sometime next week...so please let me know what you think(ideas, suggestions are welcome).

My lovely reviewers...havocmangawip...thanks for the review, I'm really glad you like it. As for my Jim & Ash, I want to show them as the totally head-over-heels, in love couple that I think they are, but not have come off as too gushy or ooc.

Luv-luv...Thank you for reviewing. Yeah, I know...but that Paige/Jesse thing is an actual spoiler(What are the writers thinking?). I guess we'll have to wait and see. I turned out to be perfect for me.

Christy January...I appreciate the review. I am also a huge Spaige fan(have been since day 1), but I love Ellie and I love Spinner and I think they would look so cute together. But, who knows, anything can happen in the world of fanfiction.

Degrassi is not mine.


	3. Damage control

My note...this chapter might be a little confusing(I hope not). I'm going to be writing two conversations, that are going on at the same time. They will be seperated by five little dashes(-----), to decipher between the two pairs of characters...the chapters, however, will also be seperated by dashes, but a longer line.

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 3: DAMAGE CONTROL

"Thanks", Jimmy said, just as Ashley sat down on the couch next to him and snuggled up to him.

"For what?', she asked questionably, tilting her head to look at him.

"For not saying "I told you so", he answered bluntly, squeezing her a little tighter.

Ashley chuckled lightly and placed her hand on his cheek. "And why would I do that, Jimmy?", she smirked.

Jimmy shrugged. "Because you were right", he replied in a matter of fact way.

"Yeah, but you were right too", Ashley stated with a quick kiss. Jimmy looked at her questionably and she smiled at him. "They need to be able to tolerate one another. I'm not saying they have to like each another…just enough, so we can all be in the same room without too much drama".

Jimmy shook his head. "Well if they didn't hate each other before tonight…then they sure do now", he sighed heavily.

"Which is why we need to fix this", Ashley exclaimed as she popped up on her knees. "Tomorrow at the dot…Spinner's working, right?". Jimmy nodded slowly. "So you go talk to him and I'll work on Ellie".

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything", Jimmy shrugged. "Spinner's really stubborn".

"I know, Ellie can get pretty set in her ways too", Ashley agreed. "But we have to do something Jimmy….we cant have our best friends go on hating each other", she added with a huge sigh. Jimmy pulled Ashley closer and nodded.

--------------------------------------------

"Thanks for letting me hang out at your house Ash, I really didn't feel like being at home when Paige gets there", Ellie stated, settling on Ashley's bed with a magazine.

"Sure El, you know you're always welcome, but I actually had a ulterior motive when I asked you here", Ashley revealed. Ellie turned her attention from the article she was reading, to Ashley. "I wanted to talk to you about last night…".

"Oh Ash, don't apologize for that…", Ellie interrupted. "…it wasn't your fault, it was Spinner's".

-----

"Dude, last night was not my fault", Spinner whispered in defense as he served the the table next to Jimmy.

"How can you say that man?...You insulted her", Jimmy reminded him.

Spinner gasped. "I insulted her?", he asked sarcastically. "She called me a sexist pig", he argued in a much louder tone.

-----

Ashley sighed and sat down next to Ellie. "About Spinner, El….he really is a good guy…he just doesn't always think before he speaks", Ashley stated, choosing her words carefully.

"And the world would be a much better place, if Spinner Mason learned to keep his big mouth shut", Ellie spat, tossing the magazine aside and walking over to the window.

-----

"Keep it down, man", Jimmy warned as a couple of patrons turned toward Spinner's outburst.

"Listen Jimmy, I gotta get back to work..", Spinner stated when he noticed his boss looking in his direction. "...so if you're not gonna order anything..."

"Fine", Jimmy interrupted with a shrug. "Give me a cheeseburger and fries".

-----

"You know Ash, all this Spinner talk is making me nauseous", Ellie complained, rather dramatically.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Oh El...c'mon, it can't be that bad", she argued, taking Ellie by the hand and leading her back over to the bed.

"So you just want me to forget what happened?", Ellie asked incedulously as they both sat down on the edge of Ashley's bed.

"No, but I think you two should at least, talk", Ashley replied sincerely. "I mean, if Jimmy can forgive Spinner for something so big...I think you can find it in your heart to forgive him for some stupid macho remarks".

Ellie sat quietly and thought hard, about what Ashley had just said.

-----

"Dude, did you hear me?", Jimmy asked as he threw a french fry at Spinner.

Spinner snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Yeah, I heard you...but I still don't understand why I have to be the one to...I mean, she started it", he retorted childishly.

Jimmy sighed and shook his head in frustration. "Be a man Spin...just swallow your pride and do it", he pleaded.

Spinner looked at Jimmy and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. If it makes you and Ashley happy, I'll forgive Ellie...", he agreed as he stood up from his seat. "...but only after she apologizes for calling me a jerk", Spinner bit back, handing Jimmy the check for his meal and walking away.

"Great", Jimmy mumbled under his breath as he laid, his now aching head, in his hands.

-----

"Okay, I'll do it Ash...", Ellie finally agreed, after a few minutes of deliberating in her head. "...under one condition...".

"Sure El, anything", Ashley replied excitedly.

"Spinner has to apologize for how he treated me", Ellie demanded. "And not just some random words spewing out of his mouth...", she added bitterly, as she walked to the door. "...a real, sincere apology", Ellie trailed off as she left Ashley's room, closing the door behind her.

"Sure", Ashley moaned as she fell back onto her bed.

-------------------------------------------------

"So how'd it go with Ellie?" Jimmy asked Ashley as she walked into his house.

"From the looks of you...I'd say, about as well as it went with Spinner", Ashley chuckled, taking a seat on his couch, but leaving enough room for Jimmy to join her.

Jimmy transfered next to Ashley and pulled her into a warm hug. "He wants her to apologize", he stated as she snuggled against him.

"Same with Ellie", Ashley replied dishearteningly.

"So, now what?", Jimmy asked bluntly.

"We do it", Ashley answered simply. Jimmy looked at her questionably. Ashley sat up a little and smiled at him. "We get them together, so they can talk things out and apologize to one another".

Jimmy chuckled and pulled Ashley across his lap. He cradled her in his arms and held his lips to hers. "What was that for", Ashley gasped, when Jimmy finally let her up for air.

"For making it all sound so simple", he laughed and leaned back in to kiss her again.

----------------------------------------------------

I hope I did well with the conversation part, I was worried about that. I love writing dialogue between the best friends, Ash & El and Jim & Spin just have such great chemistry together, almost like siblings. Next chapter should be up soon, as well as my new story.

Many thanks to luvluv, for your review of chapter two. I really appreciate it...and I loved the whistle part too!

Degrassi does not belong to me.


	4. The best of intentions

My note...this chapter is a little short, and not exactly my favorite chapter, but it's meant to be a filler for what is to come. The next chapter will be much longer and...let's just say, a little more _action _packed.

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 4: THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

"I think they're on to us…", Ashley whispered to Jimmy as she pretended to pay attention to Mr. Armstrong's lesson. "… It's been almost two weeks and every time we try to get them anywhere near one another, one or both of them make excuses or leaves".

Jimmy nodded and sighed as Ashley continued. "I mean, Ellie wont come here or go to The Dot and Spinner refuses to go to Marco's because he knows Ellie might be there".

Jimmy figeted nervously, he had something special planned this weekend, and this fight between Spinner and Ellie was putting a serious crimp in those plans. "Marco's tried to talk some sense into them, but they just wont listen", Ashley complained. "We should probably cancel the trip".

"No Ash, you've been planning this trip for months...the rooms are already paid for, Marco's got his dad's van...", Jimmy objected quietly. "...we're going, just like we planned...all of us".

"But Jimmy, they both know the other was invited...it's not like we can trick them into going", Ashley whispered in protest.

Jimmy thought for a second, before a plan started hatching in his head. "Ash, maybe we're going about it the wrong way", he offered quietly.

"What do you mean?", Ashley asked excitedly and scooted closer to Jimmy.

"Well, they've both said that they wont speak to the other unless that person apologizes first, right?", Jimmy asked and Ashley nodded slowly, still not quite sure where he was going with this. "So, instead of waiting for one to apologize to the other….why don't we do it for them?", he questioned, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Then they'll both be happy and we can still go on out trip together".

"Sure, that sounds great, but how?", Ashley asked back, hurriedly scribbling something in her notebook, when Mr. Armstrong glanced their way.

Jimmy waited a few seconds. "I'm still working on that", he muttered, copying a problem down, off the board.

"I could write a note from Ellie, but Spinner might recognize my handwriting", Ashley stated dishearteningly.

"And Ellie would definitely recognize my voice, so apologizing over the phone is out", Jimmy stated. "We have to be creative".

"I think I might have the answer", Ashley exclaimed excitedly, looking over at Jimmy.

"Great Miss Kerwin", Mr. Armstrong called from the front of the classroom. "Please come up and show the rest of the class, how you came up with that answer", he suggested, holding up a piece of chalk for Ashley.

Ashley's mouth momentarily fell open as she looked at the enormous trigonometry problem scribbled out on the board. "Answer that?", she questioned a smirking Mr. Armstrong. He nodded amusingly.

Ashley looked back over at Jimmy and he gave her a small sympathetic smile . "Just be creative, I guess", he offered with a slight shrug, as she hesitantly rose, and walked to the front of the class.

------------------------------------------------------

"I guess it worked", Ashley stated proudly as she hung up the phone. "Marco said Ellie's packed and ready to go...they should be here soon".

"Yeah, and Spin's on his way...so...", Jimmy started to say, but Ashley interrupted his sentence with a kiss.

"That was quite a masterful plan, Mr. Brooks", Ashley chuckled as she sat on his lap.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without my amazing accomplice", he replied, dipping her to the side for another kiss. "You don't think the roses were too much, do you?", Jimmy asked worriedly as she sat back up. "I never really thought of Ellie as the type of girl who likes receiving flowers".

Ashley giggled. "Every girl likes getting flowers, Jimmy", she assured him. "Besides, Ellie's changed a little and she always gushes when you send me flowers".

"Well then, maybe I should do it more often", he hinted, his lips meeting hers again.

"Try a little _less _often", Spinner groaned as he walked into Jimmy's living room. "You know, you guys could come up for air every once in a while", he stated sarcastically.

Ashley chuckled and got up from Jimmy's lap. "You're just jealous, man", Jimmy teased, stopping in front of Spinner.

Spinner frowned and waived his hand at Jimmy. "Whatever, dude", he replied grouchily and walked away, dropping his bag next to the pile by the front door.

"That's all you're bringing, Spin?", Ashley questioned, eyeing Spinner's small duffle bag.

"Yeah", Spinner defended. "We're only going for the weekend...not the entire week", he smirked, nodding to Jimmy and Ashley's bags

"What can I say, we're high mantainence", Jimmy joked as he pulled some bags onto his lap and followed Ashley out.

The three had just finished bringing out the luggage, when Marco pulled into the driveway. "Hey, you guys ready to go?", he asked as he jumped out of the drivers seat.

"Absolutely", Jimmy chuckled as they packed the trunk full of bags. Ellie took some of the excess and laid it on the seat, next to her.

Dylan and Spinner set up a collapsible metal ramp, to the right side of the van, so Jimmy could get in with ease. Once he was settled into the middle seat, and the ramp removed, Ashley climbed in and sat next to him.

Dylan came back around and took his place, in the passenger side front, leaving the only available seat, in the back...next to Ellie.

"Spinner", Ellie greeted, nonchalantly, but graciously moved the bags closer to herself, giving Spinner more room.

"Ellie", Spinner responded, with a slight nod.

They both offered the other a small smile before turning their attention out their respected windows.

Ashley turned back to Jimmy and shrugged, as she fastened her seatbelt. He placed his arm around her shoulders. "I guess it's a start", she whispered, nestling her head on his shoulder.

------------------------------------

So, yeah...I had a lot of problems with this chapter. I think I re-wrote it like five times, before I came up with this. So, if it sucks, I'm terribly sorry, but like I said, it's meant to more of a filler chapter. So please let me know what you think.

School and life is just crazy right now, and I'm working on my next story, which should be up either this weekend or early mext week; so, sorry for the long delay in updates.

Jashley-fan...thanks for the great review, I'm really glad you like this story. Luv-luv...I love your detailed reviews, it shows that your really paying close attention to the plot, the characters and reading between the lines. I always look forward to hear what you have to say. Thanks!

Degrassi is not mine.


	5. Too close for comfort

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 5: TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

The trip took exactly one hour and forty-seven minutes, all without major incident. Spinner slept for most of the ride while Ellie and Ashley engaged in plenty of girl talk. Jimmy sat contently with Ashley in his arms, listening to his Ipod, trying to drown out the numerous duets Marco and Dylan were attempting to sing along with, on the radio.

They should have arrived about twenty minutes earlier, but had to stop because Spinner forgot to pee before they left. "It's not my fault, the 'jumbo gulp' kicked in early", he defended innocently, halfway through the trip.

"This is so beautiful", Ellie gasped at the view from their hotel, as the group got out of the van.

"El, I cant believe you've lived in Ontario all your life, and you've never been to Niagara Falls", Marco stated with disbelief, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah…well, my parents aren't exactly the sight-seeing type", she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Marco.

"I thought your dad was a soldier", Spinner questioned.

"He is, and while he was far away, fighting in foreign lands….I was stuck here, with my mother, who's idea of a vacation was spending the weekend in Fergus with her friend Elaine", Ellie grumbled and grabbed her bags.

"Load me up, El", Jimmy chuckled, holding his arms out for some bags.

Ellie smiled and handed Jimmy a few small bags. "Oh, to hell with that", Spinner laughed, pilling bag after bag onto Jimmy's lap.

Ashley gave Spinner and incredulous look and took the two top bags off of Jimmy. "He's not a valet cart Spinner", she scolded, shoving the handles into Spinner's hands. "And he needs to see where he's going", she added, taking two more bags and carrying them herself.

"Thanks", Jimmy laughed, and gave Ashley a look of mock relief, as they made their way into the hotel.

"Hello, may I help you", a friendly concierge asked from behind the desk.

"Yes, we have four rooms…under Kerwin", Ashley replied excitedly.

"I'm sorry, but we show three rooms here", the young man explained.

"It was supposed to be four…one accessible room, one double and two single", Ashley argued.

"I have two regular rooms, with queen sized beds and one handicapped accessible room with a king sized bed".

"No fair, how come he gets the king sized bed?", Spinner whined, looking over at Jimmy.

"Cuz, I'm special", Jimmy gloated, elbowing Spinner in the ribs.

Ashley shot them a look that demanded they behave. "Can we change that then…to two single rooms?", she asked, quickly losing her patience.

"I'm sorry Miss, but our hotel in completely booked, as are most of the surrounding hotels…we have three large conventions going on in the area this weekend", he replied cautiously. "I'd be happy to try another hotel, but…".

"Wait, I've got an idea", Spinner interrupted. "Ash you and Ellie can share a room and I'll bunk with Jimmy", he offered, a grin spreading over his face.

"NO", Jimmy and Ashley replied in unison.

"Sorry El", Ashley apologized quickly.

"No need…", Ellie answered smiling at Ashley. "…I understand", she chuckled and winked at Jimmy, who blushed and looked away.

"Dude, it's perfect", Spinner pushed.

"Spin, I'm not sleeping in the same room with you", Jimmy protested.

"Why, do I have cooties or something", Spinner asked childishly.

Jimmy shook his head and sighed. "Dude, I'm came here with my girlfriend", he hinted, slowly and suggestively, but Spinner wasn't comprehending. "And besides, you snore", Jimmy added disgustedly.

Spinner gave Jimmy a wounded look. "You could always swap with Dylan and Marco", Ashley offered jokingly, Jimmy smiled in amusement.

Spinner turned his attention over to Dylan and Marco , who were trying hats on one another in front of the hotel gift shop, then looked back over at Jimmy and Ashley.

"Enough already….we'll just share a room", an impatient Ellie stated. The three looked over at Spinner and waited for his response.

"Fine…Ellie's fine", he stuttered, glancing back over at Dylan and Marco.

"Geez, thanks Spin", Ellie replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Ashley hugged Ellie, then turned back to the counter to retrieve the room keys.

Jimmy grabbed hold of Ellie's hand. "You are a life saver", he stated with a dramatic sigh of relief.

Ellie smiled and squeezed his hand back. She then released Jimmy's hand and lifted his Ipod from the front pocket of his button down shirt. "It's only fair…right?", she snickered.

Jimmy nodded and laughed. "It's yours for the weekend".

Ellie placed her hand on Jimmy's shoulder and giggled. "Now let's get you unloaded, before those bags crush you to death", she joked, as they followed Ashley, Marco, Dylan and Spinner to the elevator.

-------------------------------------------------

Once the bags were unloaded into the rooms, the group decided to grab a quick lunch, then go sight-seeing.

They strolled through Queen Victoria Park and the Oak Garden, then went back to get the van so they could cross the Rainow Bridge, to see the American side of the falls.

"That presentation was amazing", Ellie exclaimed as they left the Niagara Falls Discovery Center.

"Yeah, it was okay...but listening to that guide was about as interesting as listening to Kwan discuss Poe", Spinner replied dryly. "This...this is where I wanna go next", he chuckled, holding up the brochure.

"The Daredevil Museum?", Ellie questioned with a chuckle.

Spinner nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah", he sighed looking over at the falls. "Man, what a rush that would be".

"You'd actually risk life and limb to go over a waterfall in a barrel?", she asked incredulously. Spinner gave her a 'hell yeah' look. "I would seriously pay money to see..."

"Don't dare him, El", Jimmy warned with mock seriousness. "I once told Spinner to drive off a bridge...", he pulled up next Ellie and Spinner and looked between them. "...and he almost did it". Spinner frowned and pushed Jimmy's shoulder. Jimmy lips spread out into a slight grin and Ellie smiled back; she already knew about that story, so it was nice to see they were able to joke about it a little.

The group left New York, late afternoon, and returned to the hotel so they could get ready for the dinner reservations they had at a beautiful rooftop restaurant, overlooking the falls.

"What takes them so long?", Spinner groaned as the boys waited for the girls to meet them in the lobby. Marco chuckled and straightened the ill-fitting sport coat Spinner was forced to buy when Ashley told him the restaurant had a strict dress code.

"They're girls Spin, it takes more than a fifty dollar purchase from a second-hand store for them to get ready for a night out on the town", Marco explained, thoroughly amused.

Just then, Jimmy wheeled out of the gift shop, wearing the biggest smile and carrying a lone rose in his lap. "What's that for?", Spinner chuckled.

"It's for Ashley", he stated proudly, sitting up a little straighter.

Spinner frowned and rolled his eyes. He grabbed for the rose, Jimmy swatted at his hand, but Spin won out in the end and snatched it up. "What do you want her to do with one rose...dance the tango?", Spinner joked, putting the rose between his teeth and standing in ridgid tango form.

"Okay, now it's yours", Jimmy groaned disgustedly.

"What am _I_ susposed to do with it?", he asked, cluelessly.

"I don't know...", Jimmy shrugged as he turned around, heading back to the gift shop to get Ashley a new rose."...give it to Ellie", he called out, over his shoulder.

Spinner stood there and twirled the rose between his thumb and finger. He thought about what Jimmy had said and nodded slowly to himself...maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

Just seconds later, the elevator doors opened and out walked Ashley and Ellie, arm in arm, giggling at something funny. "Wow...", Spinner gasped. "...they look...".

"Yeah", a stunned Jimmy agreed as the two beautiful women walked toward them.

-------------------------------------------

There, I had to stop it here because what happens next, needs it's own chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying it, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. It's cofusing, having more than one or two documents saved, especially when they're from two different stories...I have to be extra careful to post the right chapter to the right story(lol).

Raina-Bess...I'm so glad you reviewed, thanks. I love the math part too, I giggled out loud when I thought of it(I'm a dance major and it was during barre work, so needless to say, I got a lot of strange looks from my classmates). Luvluv...ah yes, the revelation scene comes up next chapter and heads will roll...but you may be surprised at who's. Jashley-fan...thanks for the review. I guess it's unanimous...the math scene was a hit. I'm happy you all liked it.

Neither Niagara Falls or Degrassi is not mine.


	6. Over the falls without a barrel

My note…this was originally going to be the last chapter. I planned on wrapping it up a little quicker but then decided to split it into two, maybe three chapters.

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 6: OVER THE FALLS WITHOUT A BARREL

Ashley and Ellie strutted over to the boy, who were waiting over by a large fountain, located in the middle of the hotel lobby.

"You look stunning Miss Kerwin", Jimmy gasped as he took hold of Ashley's hand and kissed it. She giggled slightly and sat down on his lap.

"As do you, Eleanor", Marco chuckled, spinning Ellie around.

"Yes, you ladies look very lovely tonight", Dylan agreed fully. Ellie blushed and gave Dylan and Marco a gracious nod while Ashley, who was too busy being admired by Jimmy, didn't even notice the compliment.

Spinner stood up from the fountain ledge he was sitting on and walked over to Ellie. "You really do look pretty Ellie", he complimented sincerely.

"So do you", Ellie blurted, but immediately regretted her choice of words. "I mean you look handsome….that's a nice jacket", she praised.

"Ah, this old thing…", Spinner shrugged, tugging at the sport coat he purchased not more than an hour ago. "…Marco picked it out, thank God for gay friends with style", he added jokingly.

"I know, our friends our the best…I mean, I couldn't have done this on my own…", Ellie replied, swaying from side to side. "…Ashley's a miracle worker", she stated, glancing over at Ashley who was still happily perched on Jimmy's lap.

"Yeah well, Ash never looks bad…", Spinner stated, stumbling over his words when he noticed the look on Ellie's face. "I don't mean you look bad…I-I just mean, Ashley's always so pretty….not that you're not pretty….see, she's….".

"It's okay Spinner, I understand what you're trying to say", Ellie chuckled Spinner's obvious embarrassment. "Ash could be totally covered in mud and she'd still look amazing".

"You got that right", Jimmy interjected, pulling up beside them. Ellie and Spinner exchanged awkward smiles and turned to face their friends. "What do you say we head out, we have some time before our reservation, we could do a little more sight-seeing", Jimmy suggested and they all nodded in agreement.

Jimmy and Ashley led the group, followed by Marco and Dylan, with Ellie and Spinner lagging a little behind. Spin caught a glimpse of Ashley's left hand and the single rose that was held in it.

He remembered the one he was supposed to give to Ellie, was still on the fountain ledge. "I'll be right back", he promised, running back to grab it. "Hey Ellie, this is for you", he called out breathlessly as he caught up to her.

"Wow Spinner, that was sweet", Ellie replied, sniffing the bud. "But a single red rose?", she questioned . "You do know what that signifies, right?".

Spinner's mouth fell open. "Ah yeah, friendship right?", he asked nervously, swallowing hard.

"No silly a single red rose means "I love you", Ellie stated nodding to Ashley's rose, which was the same color. "Did you forget already", she chuckled lightly. Spinner gave her a perplexed look . "Yellow means friendship…just like the ones you sent me".

With the uttering of those words, Jimmy and Ashley stopped abruptly, causing Marco and Dylan to nearly run into them. They turned around cautiously….

"What flowers?", Spinner asked incredulously.

"The dozen yellow roses you sent to apologize for acting like an ass", Ellie 'reminded' him.

Jimmy looked worriedly up at Ashley, who was nervously chewing her bottom lip.

"I never sent you any flowers…and I certainly didn't apologize…you did", Spinner 'reminded' her.

"No I didn't…you did", Ellie insisted.

"No I didn't….here, I'll prove it", Spinner stated, pulling a folded sheet of notebook paper out of his wallet. "See, a written apology".

Ellie snatched the paper out of Spinner's hand and read over it. "I would never write something this mushy", Ellie chuckled bitterly. "And it's not even my handwriting…it looks like…Mrs. Kerwin's?", she gasped, looking over at Ashley, who had grabbed onto Jimmy's hand and was holding on for dear life.

"Ash, did you do this?", Ellie gasped, walking over to her best friend and shoving the paper at her.

"El, I can explain…", Ashley started to say but was cut off.

"And the roses….that had to be you …", Ellie continued, looking over at Jimmy. "..because no one else would be that thoughtful…".

"Thoughtful...are you kidding me? They didn't think at all", Spinner spat angrily, glaring at Jimmy. "Dude, how could you...", he started to say, but trailed off when he notice Ellie turn to Ashley.

"Yeah Ash...", Ellie started, inadvertently agreeing with Spinner. "...you knew how I felt..".

"We were only trying to help", Jimmy defended honestly.

"Help? You two tricked us, man", Spinner stated, in a tone just under a yell.

"Guys, keep it down", Marco whispered when he noticed the odd looks the group was getting.

"Keep it down, Marco?...Where you in on this too?", Ellie demanded.

"Me, no way...I had nothing to do with any of it", Marco insisted, backing away from the others, his hands held up in surrender.

"So then it was just you two?", Ellie questioned, turning back to the guilty party. Jimmy and Ashley nodded slowly.

"I don't believe it...our own best friends betraying us", Spinner added, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Betray you guys? Please. All we were trying to do, was to get you guys to be friends again", Ashley revealed.

"We were fine the way it was before...", Ellie snipped. "...before you two got involved".

"Yeah", Spinner yelled in agreement.

"You're saying this is our fault?", Ashley asked, completely confused.

"Well it kinda is, Ash", Jimmy shrugged.

"What?", she gasped turning to face him.

"It all started at that dinner...", he started to say.

"That dinner, _you _invited Spinner to", Ashley interrupted, emphasising the 'you'.

"So now it's _my_ fault?..", Jimmy asked, this time, he emphasized the 'my'. "...little Miss 'we need to fix this'...".

"Oh, okay...Mister 'they have a lot in common'...", Ashley shot back.

Jimmy sat up a little taller and narrowed his eyes. "Well, you were the one who said we had to get them to apologize to one another", he pointed out sarcastically.

"And, you were the one who came up with the 'awesome' plan, to do it for them", Ashley argued through clenched teeth.

"But, you had no problem going through with it...", Jimmy reminded her. "...I think you even ironed out all the little details.."

"Guys, stop", Marco pleaded, stepping between the two.

"It's okay Marco...I'm done", Ashley declared, shooting Jimmy one more angry glance, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the lobby.

"Yeah, me too", Jimmy yelled after Ashley then turned hastily and headed in the opposite direction.

The remaining four stood there in stunned silence for a few seconds, before Dylan finally spoke. "You go after Ashley and I'll try to find Jimmy", he instructed Marco, and they both ran off.

"Did we just break our best friends, up?", a bewildered Ellie asked an ever more bewildered Spinner.

"Yeah...", he answered quietly. "...I think we did".

---------------------------------------

OMG, I just broke my favorite couple up...what's wrong with me? I guess we'll have to wait 'til the next chapter to find out...which by the way, should be up by the weekend.

Luvluv...my only reviewer for chapter 5, thank you so much!!!! And yes, the Spinner and Ellie sharing a room comes up next chapter...that should be interesting.

I do not own Degrassi.


	7. Turned tables

My note…this chapter is going to focus mostly on Spinner and Ellie dealing with the aftermath of Jimmy and Ashley's fight and their current sleeping arrangements, with a huge(hopefully) surprise at the end.

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 7: TURNED TABLES

"What should we do now?", Spinner asked Ellie as he paced the hotel lobby. "Maybe we should go look for them too", he offered concernedly.

"No, Marco and Dylan are already out there….we should probably stay here in case they come back this way", Ellie replied, anxiously looking around for any sign of her friends.

"Yeah, you're probably right", Spinner stated, walking back over to the fountain and sitting on the ledge.

Ellie sat down next to him and played with the rose that was still in her hand. "So, you like roses?", Spinner asked awkwardly.

Ellie smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, kinda….the ones _you _sent me were beautiful", she chuckled and blushed slightly. "I mean, they're dead now…but I dried the petals, like Ashley does with the flowers Jimmy's gives her….they're sitting in a bowl on our kitchen table".

"Really?", Spinner questioned, with a grin.

"Uh huh….that's the great thing about living at our house…ya know, three girls and two gay guys…we all like potpourri", Ellie quipped, wittily. Spinner laughed out loud at Ellie's joke and glanced over at her.

Ellie nervously resumed playing with the rose as an uncomfortable silence filled the space in between them. "So, you kept the letter in your wallet?", she asked quietly, trying to break the tension.

Spinner nodded. "Yeah, it was…pretty", he offered, unable to find a better term.

Ellie snickered. "Well that should've tipped you off right away…I don't do pretty".

Spinner pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and re-opened it. "It was just really nice", he corrected, looking over the page.

Ellie reached over and Spinner passed it to her. She read it, just under her breath, this time taking in each word. "Mrs. Kerwin always did have a way with words", Ellie smiled and handed the paper back to Spinner.

"Maybe? But I think Ashley helped write this part", he grinned, pointing to the second paragraph.

"That so sounds like something Ash would say", Ellie agreed with a giggle.

Spinner slowly folded the letter and put it back in his pocket. "We really need to make this up to them", he stated seriously.

"I just hope it's not too late", Ellie turned to him, and replied sadly. Spinner put a comforting arm around Ellie's shoulder and gave her a small squeeze.

Just then, Marco and Dylan came back, breathless and disheartened. Ellie jumped up when she saw them. "Did you find them?", she asked excitedly.

"No. No sign of them anywhere", Dylan exclaimed, scanning the lobby again.

"I checked the salon, the boutique, and the lounge…no Ashley", Marco sighed.

"And Jimmy wasn't in his room or at the basketball court", Dylan shrugged as if out of options.

"Maybe we should try the restaurant", Spinner offered, with renewed motivation.

Ellie shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Do you really think they'd want to eat dinner together after they just broke up?", she asked sarcastically. "Honoring dinner reservations is probably at the bottom of their list right now, Spinner".

"So now what?", Spin asked, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"Well, since Marco and I already know the ground we covered, we're gonna get a quick bite to eat and keep looking. Why don't you two go back to your room, in case they call or come by", Dylan suggested.

"Okay, but just let us know if you hear anything", Ellie stated worriedly, as she gave Marco a huge hug. "I hope they're alright".

Marco smiled and took hold of Ellie's shoulders. "El, they'll be fine…", he assured her . "…neither one is the type to throw themselves over the falls. They just need some time to cool down". Ellie nodded hesitantly. "Now go…we'll call as soon as we hear anything, and you two do the same".

Spinner and Ellie both nodded in agreement and headed for the elevator.

-----------------------------------

"Dude, they have a Clown Academy marathon on tonight", Spinner exclaimed as he clicked through the television channels. Spinner slowly turned his head toward Ellie who was glaring angrily at him. "I-I wasn't calling you dude…ah, Ellie", he stuttered and shot her an apologetic grin.

Ellie stood up from the chair she was sitting in and walked past Spinner, flopped down on the bed next to him, and snatching the remote out of his hand, she began scrolling down the listings. "Ooh, Titanic", she mumbled as she stopped on that channel.

"You like Titanic?", Spinner teased.

"Not my usual genre, I admit…", Ellie defended. "…but I do have a slight soft spot for the occasional, tragic love story".

Spinner laughed and was just about to tease Ellie some more, when there was a knock on the door. "Maybe it's them?", Ellie whispered anxiously.

Spinner answered the door, while Ellie looked on. "Just room service", he frowned, laying the trays down on the table.

"So, what'd you get?", he asked eyeing Ellie's dish.

"Um, grilled chicken salad", she answered, drizzling the dressing over her greens.

"Bird food", Spinner mumbled as he uncovered his dish. Ellie's eye's widened at the mound of food on his plate.

"What, it's a triple cheeseburger and fries with extra gravy?", he replied nonchalantly.

"You actually eat that?", she gasped, almost choking on her salad. Spinner frowned at her. "Spinner that's like an entire cow", she teased.

"So, you, Ash and Jimmy are constantly going out for Sushi…at least this is cooked", he stated defensively.

Ellie started to laugh hysterically as Spinner tried to take a bite of his monster burger. He looked at her, watching him and he smirked. "You want some?", he mumbled as he chewed his food. Ellie looked at him disgustedly and shook her head. "C'mon, you know you do", he taunted and waived the burger in front of her face.

"No Spinner, c'mon", Ellie protested as he shoved the burger into her mouth. She bit off a huge chunk, so she wouldn't choke and they both erupted in laughter.

Spinner smiled at the smudge on Ellie's face. "Here, you've got some ketchup...", he trailed off as he gently wiped her cheek.

Their eyes met and time seemed to stop. "Spinner, I..", Ellie started to say, but was cut off by Spinner's soft kiss.

He quickly broke the kiss and backed away from Ellie. "Ellie, I'm sorry", he immediately apologized, but that to, was interrupted...this time, by Ellie kissing him back.

--------------------

"I'm sorry our dinner was ruined", she apologized as she slid into the bathtub with him.

"Ruined...are you joking? This is the best evening I've had in a long time", he chuckled as he snatched a piece of fruit off of the room-service plate.

"I just wish it didn't start out with that ugly fight", she stated, cringing at the thought.

"Yeah, that was pretty ugly", he agreed, brushing the bubbles off of her bent knee.

She snuggled into his touch as he caressed her leg then protectively wrapped his strong arms around her waist. She shifted sideways and started kissing his chest, working her way up to his lips. "What do you say, we get out of this tub, and back into that bed...for round two?", she asked seductively.

He raised his brow and cocked his head to the side. "Are you kidding me?", he asked incredulously, pushing himself up a bit. "That's impossible...I'm still trying to recover from round one", he chukled and tickled her under the water.

He stopped tickling her and pulled her close. "You were incredible", he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She blushed fiercely and smiled. "As were you", she returned the compliment, with a passionate kiss.

They laid there for a few minutes before she spoke again. "What if they find out?", she asked nervously, entwining her fingers with his.

"They won't...", he stated certainly. "...it's all been taken care of. Dylan and Marco are totally okay with it. There's nothing to worry about, Ash", Jimmy assured her.

"Okay", Ashley sighed into his chest. "So, Dylan will sneak in here early tomorrow morning and I'll sneak in with Marco?", she asked, reviewing the plan they hatched earlier that evening.

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "And remember, we're supposed to be mad at one another", he pointed out, kissing her back.

"Yes, Mr. Brooks...I'm very, very mad at you", Ashley giggled flirtatiously as she pulled the drain up and stepped out of the tub.

---------------------------

Okay...so I hope you weren't expecting that, I wanted a bit of a shocker. Yes, Jimmy and Ashley had plan-b figured out the entire time, just in case. You didn't think I'd really make them mad at one another or actually break them up, did you?

I know I left it a little open ended, but you'll find out what happens in the next chapter...and don't worry, Ashley didn't abandoned poor Jimmy in the bathtub, she helped him out...and helped him back into bed(wink, wink).

Raina-Bess...thanks for the great review, I really appreciate it. Hope this chapter answered your question. Luvluv...no problem, I appreciate your loyalty to this story and thanks for continuing to review. Jashley-fan...thanks for your kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying this story.

Sometimes I get confused, trying to keep up with the two, very different stories I'm currently writing, but I always try to make sure I thank each and every reviewer, so thank you all!

Degrassi is not mine!


	8. Best friends, again

My note….okay guys, this is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story. Thanks for all of the support and great reviews.

BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 8: BEST FRIENDS, AGAIN

Ellie rushed down the hall to Marco's suite and knocked anxiously on the door. "Hey El", he greeted tentatively as he let her into the room.

"How is she?", she asked, nodding at Ashley, who was sitting on a chair, huddled in a ball.

Marco looked over at Ashley and shrugged. "As well as can be expected", he answered pitifully, placing his arm around Ellie.

"Why didn't you call last night? I would've come right over.", Ellie asked insistently.

Marco gave Ellie a slight squeeze and smiled. "It was late and Ash was tired…we didn't want to bother you", he stated cautiously, he hated lying to Ellie.

Ellie nodded sadly. "What about Jimmy…how's he doing?", she questioned worriedly.

"He's okay, Dylan's with him", Marco replied quickly, wishing this whole performance would be over soon. Ellie sighed heavily and walked over to Ashley.

"Ash?", she called softly. Ashley turned and immediately pulled Ellie into a huge embrace.

"Oh, El…what am I gonna do?", she cried into Ellie's shoulder. Ellie looked up at Marco helplessly and he did his best to fake a sympathetic face…but it wasn't that hard, Ashley was a very good actress,

-----------------------

"Hey Dylan, where's Jimmy?", Spinner asked when he got to Jimmy's room. Dylan backed away from the door and nodded to the table that Jimmy was sitting at, picking over his breakfast.

"So was it a rough night?", Spinner whispered concernedly.

Dylan shook his head slightly. "Ah…no, not really. He was pretty quiet", Dylan fibbed convincingly.

"You shoulda called me, man", Spinner insisted.

Dylan shrugged off Spinner's request. "Ya know, it was fine Spinner…I hardly even noticed Jimmy was here", he answered, biting back the urge to chuckle.

Spinner clapped Dylan on the back and walked over to Jimmy. "Dude, you gotta eat", he pleaded, eyeing the nearly untouched plate of food.

"Not that hungry, Spin", he sighed, pushing the plate away…that part was true, he'd already shared a full breakfast, earlier that morning with Ashley.

"Dude", Spinner called out affectionately as he placed his hand on Jimmy's shoulder.

"I love her, man", Jimmy admitted truthfully, but played the suffering boyfriend to a tee.

Spinner glanced over at Dylan who could only offer a supportive shrug and patted Jimmy on the shoulder. Dylan blew out a relieved sigh…things seemed to going just as planned.

---------------------------

"What if I've lost him Ellie", Ashley cried into her best friends shoulder.

"No Ash, he loves you", Ellie replied certainly, backing away and firmly holding Ashley by the arms.

"I don't know El, he was so mad last night and he hasn't called...", Ashley trailed off, looking painfully from Ellie to Marco,who was trying to bite back a grin.

"Ashley, you were both upset last night and you both said things you didn't mean...", Ellie stated, feeling guiltier with each word."...all because me and Spinner were fighting...but that's over now, we made up last night", she added excitedly.

"You did?", Ashley and Marco asked in unison.

Ellie nodded happily. "We talked almost all night. He's really not a bad guy. I kinda like him.", she revealed, in short hesitant sentences. Ashley and Marco sat staring at Ellie. "We even kissed", she whispered shyly, flushed with embarrassment.

"You did?", they gasped, simultaneously.

"Yeah...were friends now", she replied, with a hint of defensiveness.

"Friends?", Marco chuckled, raising his brow.

"Yes, friends", Ellie snipped, smacking Marco across the chest. She turned to Ashley. "And I want us all to be friends again", she pleaded, looking from Ashley to Marco. "So if Spinner and I can forgive one another...so can you and Jimmy".

Ashley nodded happily and all three headed for the door.

-------------------

"...and besides that, man...you two were made for one another...", Spinner rambled on his tangent, until a knock at the door stopped him. "Ash", he greeted, a little surprised.

"I need to talk to Jimmy", she stated, taking a few steps into the room. Jimmy looked down at his lap, trying hard to keep his poker face and not duplicate the smile that was creeping over Ashley's lips.

"Ash, I'm sorry for..."..."Jimmy, I want to apologize...", they spoke over one another and chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Jimmy", Ashley sighed dramatically and rushed over to him, he pulled her onto his lap and held her tight.

"Work it girl", he whispered into her ear.

"You know it", she whispered back, with a slight giggle.

"I just couldn't stay mad at you", he stated out loud as they broke the embrace.

"I know, I couldn't stay mad at you either", she agreed pleadingly. "I love you Jimmy".

"I love you too, Ash", he exclaimed and they kissed passionately...this time, neither one was acting.

------------------------------

The group gave Jimmy and Ashley some proper time to "make-up", that afternoon. Then they headed off to fulfill their dinner reservations from the night before...'luckily', Marco had rescheduled that morning.

"Well, this trip didn't turn out so bad", Marco stated as the group walked from the restaurant to the parkway, trying to find the perfect spot to watch the fireworks.

"Yeah, I'd say it was a complete success", Jimmy chuckled, less than discrete. Ashley shot him a warning look. He grinned playfully and pointed to Spinner and Ellie, who had lagged behind.

Ashley found a spot on a grassy section, near a large tree. "Hey guys, were over here", she called out and waived. Spinner and Ellie waived back in acknowledgement and sat on a park bench directly behind their friends. They watched as Dylan sat down under the tree and Marco snuggled next to him. Ashley took a seat, on her favorite spot, Jimmy's lap, of course and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's so nice to see them happy again", Ellie stated excitedly.

"Yeah, for a minute there, I thought they were over", Spinner replied with a relieved sigh. "We did good work Nash", he chuckled, placing his arm over the back of the bench.

"We did, didn't we?", she giggled in agreement, looking over at Ashley and Jimmy.

"Um, so I was thinking, since we're all friends again...maybe when you're back in town...you can come to the Dot and...um, we can have some...ya know, coffee", Spinner stuttered nervously, looking over at Ellie just as her smile faded and her head lowered slightly.

Spinner sighed heavily in disappointment. Ellie suddenly turned her head to the side and smiled at him. "I'd like that Spinner", she agreed sincerely. "...just not at the Dot, you make terrible coffee", she joked and scooted closer.

"Deal", Spinner replied, lightly placing his hand on her shoulder and inching closer. Ellie laid her head on Spinner's shoulder as they both watched the fireworks explode right over their love-sick friends.

---------------

Dun, dun, da done! I hoped you liked it, I know, I left the ending open...but I think that makes for a bigger impact. Plus, the main focus of the story was actually the friendship of all six charaters featured(with a lot of Jimmy & Ashley, of course).

Raina-Bess...thanks for all you support and reviews, I really appreciate it! Luv-luv...yes, I tricked you. I really wanted that type of reaction from my readers. I wanted most of them to think it was Ellie and Spin, when it was actually Jimmy and Ash...those two little sneaks. Anyway, thanks so much, for the review.

Degrassi is not mine.


End file.
